


Till There Was You

by hallieCB3



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, F/M, GingerRoseWeek2020, Gingerflower, Gingerrose - Freeform, Star Wars AU, just for fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:21:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24171994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hallieCB3/pseuds/hallieCB3
Summary: Rose Tico goes to a Meet Play Dance event in Cambridge and meets a post-doc research assistant that catches her attention.
Relationships: Armitage Hux & Rose Tico, Armitage Hux/Rose Tico
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	Till There Was You

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I have another WIP regarding a Reylo prompt but here is a one-shot story about Hux and Rose (since their relationship will play a part on that Reylo prompt I am working on) and also because it is #GingerRoseWeek2020 and why not? Let's use some stuff from my time in the university for this AU. Hope you enjoy it! It's short and fluffy and thank you @gingerroselove for reminding me of this!

Rose was walking on Silver St towards the Graduate Union building, half-questioning herself if she actually wanted to attend to that event.

Her usual partners in crime hadn't been able to attend to that event - Rey had choir practice, and Finn and Poe were "busy" going to the Granta or another pub on Regent St (she wasn't actually sure) watching one of their Champions League matches with the rest of their football-worshipper classmates.

She had been working on projects and revising for the incoming exams so much she thought she deserved a time off for herself.

She was also looking forward to meet new faces. Especially since the short stint at a relationship with Finn hadn't worked at all. They had kissed while they were at the pub the last night of the field trip they all had taken to Cornwall as part of their master degree programme, but shortly thereafter they both realised they were better as friends. Even when coming back to Cambridge things had kinda gotten back to normal, she still felt kinda weird when hanging out with Finn and the others.

That's why she would mostly hang in Rey's graduate house, with her and her roommates, Kaydel and Jannah. They were reading another subject for their master degree - Land Management and Business Administration. They were really kind and had become fast friends with her. It was relaxing for her to use their common room to work on their coursework and having tea and biscuits, or sitting outside in the beautiful garden on the back of the house when the weather allowed it.

The summer was approaching faster and even when she had already decided to apply for the PhD programme same as Rey, she wanted to keep socializing a little bit more, since she was aware the structure of the new programme might be a little bit different from the master degree one.

She opened the door to the main room in the Graduate Union where there were already several other students mingling before starting the activities planned for the Meet Play Dance event.

She found Tallie, one girl from her same programme and started mingling with her and some of the guys she was sitting nearby. And then she noticed when he arrived.

A tall, ginger guy, wearing a long sleeve casual shirt and trousers entered the room with a shy smile. By his attitude, he seemed to be second-guessing if he had to be there at all.

Tallie, always the extrovert one, looked at the door.

"Hello there! There is a chair here, if you want to sit with us!"

Rose immediately asked: "Do you know him?"

"Sure! I mean, I don't actually know him, but I've seen him around in the Department of Chemical Engineering. He looks quite shy, perhaps he'd feel better if he knows someone."

The redhead guy smiled softly and walked towards them. He looked cuter when he smiled, she thought.

Rose bit her lip and tried looking around as unaffected. 

The new guy sat aside Tallie. 

"Hi, I'm Tallie, I've seen you in the Chemical Engineering building but I don't think we've properly met before."

"Hello, I'm Armie, I'm a post-doc research assistant." He extended his hand towards Tallie, but his aquamarine, clear as the summer sky eyes were fixated on Rose.

"She's my classmate Rose, we're in the same master degree programme."

Rose tried to smiled softly but felt some kind of nervousness in the pit of her stomach she wasn't sure she'd felt before.

"Hello Rose, delighted to meet you."

Was she or did he linger shaking her hand longer than what he did with Tallie?

The sound of a loud voice indicating they were about to start with the ice breaking activities for the event.

\--------------------

Rose was glad she hadn't decided against attending the event. She had a good time playing charades and funny group games as they did, met new faces (some of them were people that looked familiar from other events or from her college) but at the same time was nervous since Armie would not take her eyes out of her. She thought perhaps it was just her imagination and that she was wrong, but when at the end of the event she had no doubts when she was getting some tea with biscuits at the table and she noticed he walked towards her.

His voice was slightly shaking but sweet at the same time.

"Did you have a nice time?"

She almost dropped her spoon but caught it in the air.

"Oh yes, I'm happy I decided to come here even if my friends couldn't make it! The year is almost gone and I want to meet more people since I'll be staying for my PhD!"

She almost bit the inside of her cheek to keep her from blurting out words like crazy, nervous as she was.

She couldn't help but notice his face lightened when he heard the last bit of her response.

"That's brilliant! Which programme will you be joining?"

She couldn't help but notice that it was easier for her to keep talking to pretend he wasn't looking at her as he was. Especially as handsome as he was, of course he might had a cohort of girls falling for him with supermodel looks.

Rose had never cared a lot about her physical appearance. Her late parents had raised her and her sister Paige to be strong and dedicated individuals, working hard for their education and valuing their intelligence and dedication more than their looks. That's why it was odd to feel the type of look Armie was giving her.

Even so, they kept talking until she realised there were just a few of them left after the event had finished. 

"Well, I think I should get going, need to get back home to resume my revising for exams.", she said, with a soft smile.

"Oh sure, sure, it's getting late." 

He seemed to be hesitant to say something, would she ask for her number?

She didn't know where she got the impulse from to ask him:

"Hey, I mean, obviously if you'd like, sometimes we have extra tickets for Formal Halls or we go punting, maybe if I had your number I can let you know if you fancy joining us?"

She felt like slapping herself when she said the last word. Was she too forward?

He chuckled and her soul came back to her body when he replied:

"I'd love to! We could also go and get some tea or coffee if you prefer."

He typed his number from her mobile phone and dialed to save her number on his.

\-----------------

It wasn't that late, and the Graduate Union was not that far from her student accommodations on Grange Rd. But he insisted to walk her home. Even if he lived across the other side of town (near Mill Road). 

A few days later, he invited her to grab some coffee. It was Sunday and she had been working most of the weekend on her dissertation work and revising the course material for her oncoming exams. She was trying to act normal, but Rey was looking at her with a funny look, like trying to guess what was up with her. 

They met by the Scudamore Punting Station in Mill Lane, near the Mathematical Bridge. It was a cloudy day but a pleasant one to walk around town. They walked towards Kings Parade and ended up at the Starbucks by the Market Square. While they were waiting to order at the line and the bells of the church nearby were ringing, as if on cue, a certain song started playing on the background:

_There were bells on a hill_   
_But I never heard them ringing_   
_No, I never heard them at all_   
_Till there was you_

"I love that song!!", she exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Do you like the Beatles??"

"Of course!!! My parents used to listen their music a lot while me and my sister were little."

They started talking about Beatles songs until interrupted by the cashier asking them for their order.

\-----------------------

She walked towards her usual spot at the lab the next day with a bigger smile than what would be normally expected on a Monday morning.

The cubicles were first come, first serve, but normally those working at the lab would respect the usual seat arrangements since there was enough space for everyone.

When she got to her desk, she noticed a white folded card with a fragrant red rose over it.

It had no recipient's name written over it, but she could safely assumed it was for her.

And when reading the inside of the card, she knew it was and who had sent it to her.

One side had something written with a fancy calligraphy handwriting.

_Then there was music and wonderful roses_   
_They tell me_   
_In sweet fragrant meadows_   
_Of dawn and dew_

The other side had two tickets for a Formal Hall at Fitzwilliam College and written with a more typical guy handwriting style:

_Would you like to go with me?_

_A._

**Author's Note:**

> Jargon and Cambridge Stuff
> 
> Graduate Union: It is the University-wide representative body for graduate and mature undergraduate students at the University of Cambridge, and is one of the only students’ unions in the UK that works exclusively with graduate students. It is located on Mill Lane near Trumpington St. and they organise events through the year.
> 
> Granta: The Granta Pub is one of the typical British pubs you might find in Cambridge but this one has a nice terrace looking directly onto the River Cam and its own punts.
> 
> Regent St: It is an arterial street in southeast central Cambridge, with a lot of pubs and restaurants. It is located nearby the famous Parker's Piece green common, regarded by some as the birthplace of the rules of Association Football.
> 
> Exams: Examinations in Cambridge run from April through May during Easter Term.
> 
> Field trip to Cornwall: Rey, Rose, Finn and Poe are classmates in the same master degree programme, Engineering for Sustainable Development, and as part of this one-year programme they went to a 4-day field trip to Cornwall. They stayed at Newquay and had chance to go party to the nearby pubs.
> 
> Rey's Graduate House: As part of the University of Cambridge, each student has to be offered a place on one of their colleges (similar to the structure in Hogwarts, through I promise I had no Sorting Hat ceremony). Rose is from Selwyn College, whereas Rey was accepted on Newnham College (one of the few remaining all-women colleges). She lives on one of the graduate houses along Wordsworth Grove, a beautiful semi-detached plan house she has a private room but shares the house with another few graduate students. That's how she met Kaydel and Jannah.
> 
> Elective subjects: As part of her master degree programme structure, Rose had a chance to choose several elective subjects based on her preferences, with students from other master degree programmes (that's how she met Tallie).
> 
> Department of Chemical Engineering: For her dissertation, Tallie has been doing some work at the Chemical Engineering Simulation Lab and that's how she's seen Hux, who is a post-doc research associate.
> 
> Formal Hall: A Formal Hall is a three course dinner served by College staff by candlelight in the colleges dining halls. There's a dress code: suit and tie or cocktail dress, and students and Fellows wear their academic gowns. It's part of the classic Cambridge experience and always a memorable occasion.
> 
> Punting: A punt is a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow, designed for use in small rivers or other shallow water. Punting is boating in a punt. The punter generally propels the punt by pushing against the river bed with a pole. It is quite common in Cambridge and part of the classic Cambridge experience.
> 
> Grange Rd./Mill Road: Rose lives on one of the graduate accomodations for Selwyn College students located at Grange Rd., which It runs approximately parallel with the River Cam to the east. Hux lives in Mill Road, which is located pretty much on the opposite direction coming from the Graduate Union.
> 
> Scudamore Punting Station in Mill Lane: The Mill Lane punting station (College Backs self-hire punts and tours) and main boatyard (self-hire canoes, kayaks, punts and rowboats for Grantchester) are located at the southern end of the College Backs, between the Anchor pub on Silver Street Bridge and the Mill pub on Mill Lane. 
> 
> Mathematical Bridge: It is the popular name of a wooden footbridge in the southwest of central Cambridge, United Kingdom. It bridges the River Cam about one hundred feet northwest of Silver Street Bridge and connects two parts of Queens' College. Its official name is simply the Wooden Bridge.
> 
> Kings Parade: It is a major tourist area in Cambridge, commanding a central position in the University of Cambridge area of the city. The street continues north as Trinity Street and then St John's Street, and south as Trumpington Street. 
> 
> Market Square: Located at the city centre, stalls have been trading at this historic market square since the middle ages. From Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, stalls at the general market sell a wide range of goods. These include books, music, films, clothes, jewellery, fresh food, second-hand bikes, plants, mobile phones and accessories, and much more.
> 
> "nearby church bells ringing": St Mary the Great is a Church of England parish and university church at the north end of King's Parade, near to Market Square.
> 
> Engineering Lab: Located at the third floor of the Inglis Building, it is comprised of several open floor workstations designated for the free use of the engineering programmes graduate students.
> 
> Calligraphy handwriting: Armie asked his roommate and coworker Ben Solo to help him with this.


End file.
